Through the BackcountryStore.com Adventure Contest, ‘tickets’ are awarded to employees for a variety of outdoor pursuits. For every 1,000 feet of vertical gained while hiking, trail running, climbing or mountain biking, the employee earns one ticket. An overnight camping or backpacking trip is worth a ticket, as is a one-pitch climb or a paddling session on a nearby river or reservoir. The most inspiring single backcountry adventure chalks up 25 tickets. At the end of the contest, tickets are tossed into a virtual hat and drawn electronically at random. Those with the most tickets (i.e. those who live most closely by BackcountryStore.com’s motto “we use the gear we sell”) have the greatest probability of taking home the sweetest gear.

Group sales coordinator, Sharon Page, led the field with 166 tickets by logging more than 82,000 vertical feet, camping out several nights, exploring more than 40 trails in the Uinta and Wasatch Mountains, and even logging a little rock climbing and kayaking during the four month contest. She was followed closely by Accounting Manager Bob Bethke (who walked away with a $650 pair of Atomic TM EX skis) with 130 tickets from an especially adventuresome resume including over 72,000 vertical feet of climbing.

Last year’s winner, assistant buyer, Bob Merrill (aka “Backcountry Bob”) had a tough year and has asked for a per child handicap for next year’s contest. “Next year, I want a 20,000 vertical foot per child handicap. With two kids, I can’t bust those long after-work excursions, like some single people who beat me,” Merrill said. Despite his “handicap”, Backcountry Bob still took home a $500 airline ticket which he intends to use for a backcountry skiing trip to Alaska next spring.

In all, BackcountryStore.com employees logged more than 900,000 vertical feet, spent 140 nights camping out this summer, went on 547 hikes and trail runs, and 81 climbs and paddling sessions.

“Everyone here loves gear and outdoor adventure,” says Jim Holland, BackcountryStore.com chief executive. “This contest is a lot of fun, and it helps us keep our eye on the ball… we use the gear we sell. If one of our content guys recently spent a night camping and cooking with an MSR stove, his description of that product will be that much better. If someone here is guiding a customer on a ski or snowshoe purchase, yesterday’s backcountry skiing adventure makes them a little more credible.”

According to Holland, gear was not the only motivator. “Some of our people are by nature quite competitive. Many were definitely inspired by the challenge of pulling into the top three in a particular category. The contest was all it took to spur many of us to get off the couch on a Saturday afternoon and get out there.”

The BackcountryStore.com adventure contest aggregated a list of prizes including skis from Atomic and Salomon, Marmot ski packs and sleeping bags, Oakley glasses and watches, Patagonia performance shells, Kelty, Bibler and GoLite tents, DaKine, The North Face and Salomon packs, Yakima roof racks and much more.

The awards ceremony also served as the world premier for Oakley’s new ski movie “1242”, featuring the Oakley’s sponsored ski team.

About BackcountryStore.com
Named one of the top 50 ecommerce sites by Internet Retailer magazine, BackcountryStore.com sells high-end, specialty gear for backcountry adventures, including skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, climbing, trail running, camping, hiking, kayaking and adventure travel. The company was founded in 1997 and is staffed by backcountry veterans and gear fanatics who understand the importance of choosing the right gear. BackcountryStore.com is located in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains in Heber City, Utah.